Nauti-Craft Marine Suspension Technology

Nauti-Craft at Seawork 2018 International Marine Exhibition in Southampton.

The 21st anniversary edition of Seawork International will be held from 3-5 July 2018 in Mayflower Park, Southampton UK.

Come and see Nauti-Craft's Managing Director Ken Johnsen and Business Development manager Neil Mendum at stand PB69 at Seawork 2018 to discover how Naut-Craft’s Marine Suspension Technology can benefit your vessels.

Seawork International is regarded as the industry’s one-stop-shop, providing buyers, legislators and influencers from around the globe with direct access to the commercial marine and workboat market, its equipment and services, its innovations and its people, for three invaluable days every year.

Yanmar Unveils Nauti-Craft based “Suspension Boat Concept” at Japan International Boat Show

Today at the Japan International Boat Show, Yanmar showcases for the first time a concept boat incorporating Nauti- Craft's innovative marine suspension system.Yanmar is a world-renowned maker of diesel engines with a strong reputation for its products in the marine world. It is also manufactures a range of commercial and recreational GRP boats that are manufactured in Oita Japan.Nauti-Craft and Yanmar have been working together under two successive cooperation agreements that have culminated in the boat that is being displayed at the Japan International Boat Show from 8th to 11th March 2018.Th 11m boat on display is set up to demonstrate the movement of separate hulls of the boat simulating the type of movement that will be seen traversing ocean wave.The main befits of the Nauti-Craft marine suspension system is up to 75% reduction in vertical accelerations (G forces) that passengers experience during travel in rough seas compared to a boat without suspension. The boat also can incorporate a feature that allows the deck to remain stable when passengers and getting on and off the boat in rough water.Chris Heyring the Chairman of Nauti-Craft and inventor of the technology together with Ken Johnsen the Managing Director are attending the Japanese International Boat Show in support of this public showing by Yanmar.Ken Johnsen stated “Nauti-Craft are working with a number of boat makers around the world and is pleased that Yanmar is first boat maker in the world to show a boat that incorporates Nauti-Craft technology. This is a demonstration of Yanmar's desire to advance in the world of boat design and offer its customers safer and more comfortable products” sector.

About Yanmar

With beginnings in Osaka, Japan in 1912, Yanmar was the first ever to succeed in making a compact diesel engine of a practical size in 1933. Moving on, with industrial diesel engines as the cornerstone of the enterprise, Yanmar has continued to expand its product range, services, and expertise to deliver total solutions as an industrial equipment manufacturer. As a provider of small and large engines, agricultural machinery and facilities, construction equipment, energy systems, marine, machine tools, and components — Yanmar’s global business operations span seven domains.On land, at sea, and in the city, Yanmar’s Mission of “providing sustainable solutions focused on the challenges customers face, in food production and harnessing power, thereby enriching people’s lives for all our tomorrows,” stands testament to Yanmar’s determination to providing us with “A Sustainable Future.”

After more than 2000 hours of detailed engineering design and analysis, Nauticraft has received approval from classification society DNVGL for a 26m wind farm service vessel. The approval is the last major hurdle for Nauti-Craft in enabling its unique marine suspension system to be deployed on Windfarm Support vessels.The suspension system enables the vessel to operate in seas to 3m at speeds exceeding 22knots while reducing vertical g force levels by 70% and provides a stable platform for vessel to turbine crew transfers

About DNV GL

Driven by its purpose of safeguarding life, property and the environment, DNV GL enables organizations to advance the safety and sustainability of their business. DNV GL provide classification and technical assurance along with software and independent expert advisory services to the maritime, oil & gas and energy industries and also provide certification services to customers across a wide range of industries.

Nola Marino, Federal Member for the seat of Forrest, discusses Nauti-Craft Technology in Federal Parliament.

Nauti-Craft Marine Suspension Technology is proud to be among Fifteen Australian innovators from both the defence and civil sector that have been shortlisted for the prestigious 2017 Maritime Australia Industry Innovation Awards.

The awards recognise and reward local companies and individuals at the forefront of naval and maritime innovation.

The winners will be announced at 11.00am on Wednesday 4 October during the Pacific 2017 International Maritime Exposition at Sydney’s International Convention Centre (ICC) at Darling Harbour.PACIFIC 2017 is a global business event, attracting senior merchant marine, shore services, maritime and defence industry, military and government decision-makers from around the world.

Nauti-Craft on show with Strategic Marine and Carbon Trust at Seawork International Marine Exhibition in Southampton.

With a presence at both Strategic Marine’s and the Carbon Trust's Offshore Wind Accelerator stands, Nauti-Craft's Managing Director Ken Johnsen and Business Development manager Alex Robertson were on hand to discuss the benefits of Nauti-Craft’s marine suspension technology for offshore transit and transfer.

Ken Johnsen remarked“Nauti-Craft technology had an excellent showing at Seawork with strong interest from the Offshore Windfarm industry representatives attending. Several new leads were developed and there was good support from both Strategic Marine and The Carbon Trust Offshore Wind Accelerator.”.

Nauti-Craft presents paper at Royal Institute of Naval Architects conference.

The Conference aims to investigate the impact of new standards, new regulations, and new developments made within the offshore wind sector industry

The paper, which outlines Nauti Craft's covers the engineering process and simulation techniques employed in the design of a 24m wind farm service vessel (WFSV) incorporating the Nauti-Craft interconnected hydraulic suspension and ride control system can be downloaded here.

About The Royal Institution of Naval Architects

The Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA), is an internationally renowned professional institution whose members are involved at all levels in the design, construction, maintenance and operation of marine vessels and structures. Members of RINA are widely represented in industry, universities and colleges, and maritime organisations in over ninety countries.More information at www.rina.org.uk

15/02/2017

Nauti-Craft and Strategic Marine secure important Approval in Principal from DNV-GL for the design of the Nauti-Strat26 Windfarm Vessel.

The development of the NautiStrat-26 WFSV took a major leap forward with the receipt of an Approval In Principal of the vessel design basis by classification society DNVGL.

This approval confirms the approach and methodologies developed by Nauti-Craft to design its unique suspension system for Strategic Marine's 26m wind farm service catamaran are acceptable for the purposes of achieving Classification of the completed vessel design.

The development of a vessel, which departs so significantly from traditional design methods, presented a number of significant challenges as established codes or rules could not be applied.

Using a variety of techniques, extending from first principles engineering to highly complex computer simulations, the team at Nauti-Craft provided DNVGL with a comprehensive analysis of loads, forces and accelerations anticipated to be experienced by the vessel operating in often severe conditions in the North Sea.

Nauti-Craft's Operations Manager, Dr Laurie Walker commented:

"One of the key challenges was to demonstrate how a traditional vessel would be seeing up to 3g of slamming accelerations while the Nauti-Craft superstructure would only experience up to 1g. The Nauti-Craft team had to develop a unique design method in relation to this type of vessel including identifying worst case loading conditions.”

Jay Elatam, Strategic Marine's Project Manager stated:

"This is an engineering milestone and ground breaking for DNVGL as a project. As the Nautistrat-26 concept is such a radical departure from the typical catamaran and hence class rules, DNVGL acceptance on the load calculation method forms a solid foundation in designing future vessels fitted with this ride control system."

About DNV GL

Driven by its purpose of safeguarding life, property and the environment, DNV GL enables organizations to advance the safety and sustainability of their business. DNV GL provide classification and technical assurance along with software and independent expert advisory services to the maritime, oil & gas and energy industries and also provide certification services to customers across a wide range of industries.

Nauti-Craft has recently completed its fifth project with funding assistance from the UK based Carbon Trust under its Offshore Wind Accelerator (OWA) program.

The OWA is the Carbon Trust's flagship collaborative RD&D program set up in 2008 with the aim of reducing the cost of offshore wind by 10% through innovation. Technology challenges were identified and prioritised by the OWA members based on the likely savings and the potential for the OWA to influence the outcomes in the offshore wind industry.The OWA is a joint industry project, involving nine offshore wind developers*

In 2011 Nauti-Craft Pty Ltd was one of 13 finalists chosen from 400 submissions to receive funding assistance because of its unique and novel marine suspension technology which provides safer crew transfer and transit to offshore wind turbines.

Being chosen as a finalist for the competition opened the door for Nauti-Craft to access the support of The Carbon Trust with a succession of projects aimed at assisting in the commercialisation and de-risking of the Nauti-Craft technology.

Support of the Carbon Trust and its Working Group Partners has assisted Nauti-Craft in taking it’s novel marine suspension technology from initial concept stage through to a commercially viable working prototype that has led to commercial agreements aimed at introducing the technology into the European offshore windfarm service vessel fleet.

Milestones have included scale model tests leading to the design, construction and sea trials of 8 metre prototype (including industry demonstrations in Europe at Seaworks 2014) and culminating in the most recently completed project in a Design Approval Preview by DNV GL for a 26 meter windfarm service vessel

Nauti-Craft’s Managing Director Ken Johnsen stated “Without the Carbon Trust’s assistance the Company would not have achieved its rapid progress in arriving at a viable solution for the offshore wind industry. Not only the financial assistance has been valuable. Equally as valuable is the industry exposure facilitated by the Carbon Trust and the Working Group of the OWA.

Nauti-Craft would like to thank the Carbon Trust and its partners and looks forward to a ongoing relationship.

*OWA Partners

The Offshore Wind Accelerator is two-thirds funded by industry and one-third funded by the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and the Scottish Government. The Carbon Trust's OWA industrial partners are nine international energy companies:

• DONG Energy, leading Danish offshore wind farm developer with over 20 years' experience• E.ON, Germany's largest utility • Mainstream Renewable Power, founded by Dr. Eddie O'Connor and Fintan Whelan, the former CEO and CFO of Airtricity • RWE Innogy, Europe-wide renewables business of the German RWE group • Scottish Power Renewables, UK's largest onshore wind farm developer • SSE Renewables (formerly Airtricity), the renewable energy development division of Scottish and Southern Energy • Statkraft, the Norwegian state owned utility • Statoil, Norwegian international energy company • Vattenfall, the owner of the second largest fleet of offshore wind farms in the world

The Carbon Trust’s Offshore Wind Accelerator has supported Nauti-Craft for four consecutive years to help deliver on the programme’s objective to reduce the cost of energy from offshore wind for sites located further offshore. With the help of the OWA Nauti-Craft vessel was demonstrated to industry at Seawork International in Southampton, UK last year. This final phase of support has enabled Nauti-Craft to identify and address remaining challenges to ensure the concept achieves classification approval from DNV GL, a key requirement for this concept to operate in the offshore wind market.

Nauti-Craft technology allows for a cheaper, safer and more efficient means of transportation and access to offshore wind farms in more onerous weather conditions. Increasing the turbine accessibility increases the availability of the turbines and hence reduces the cost of the energy produced.

DNV GL is the world's largest classification society, an autonomous and independent foundation with the objectives of safeguarding life, property and the environment, at sea and onshore. DNV GL undertakes classification, certification, and other verification and consultancy services relating to quality of ships, offshore units and installations, and onshore industries worldwide, and carries out research in relation to these functions.

The Design Approval Preview involved a thorough review of the preliminary design, stability, systems engineering and safety for a 28m crew transfer vessel design, aimed at providing a general assessment and identify potential risks or issues that might prevent Classification being granted by DNV GL.

The summary report from DNV GL states:

“Based on supplied information, no significant issues have been identified that would prevent Classification being assigned to this vessel.”

Nauti-Craft’s Naval Architect Anthony Livanos managed the review and said the whole process with DNV GL was conducted proficiently and ran smoothly.

“The positive feedback and support from DNV GL is very encouraging. The fact that no significant issues were identified to prevent class being attained is a testament to our design team and the robustness of our windfarm vessel concept. The successful review accelerates our design program to be able to provide a unique solution to the rapidly expanding offshore windfarm industry.” Mr Livanos said.

The crew transfer vessel concept is progressing into the detailed design stages while Nauti-Craft has initiated a review with a European Flag administration and a Western Australian shipbuilder.

Ken Johnsen, Nauti-Craft’s Managing Director stated, “The DNV GL review is an important pre-cursor to the commercial availability of innovative new vessels incorporating the Company’s innovative technology that will enable safer and more comfortable transit to offshore windfarm installations and once at site safer technician and load transfer. The Company is appreciative of the Carbon Trust’s ongoing support in achieving this important milestone. ”

Dan Kyle Spearman, Project Lead, Access and Transfer Systems at the Carbon Trust commented: “We identified the potential for the Nauti-Craft concept to improve accessibility to offshore wind turbines four years ago when it was selected as one of the final concepts from over 450 international entrants in our global innovation competition. This report from DNV GL is an important step in de-risking the concept and showing that this novel design can achieve marine regulatory approval. This is really positive news that a Carbon Trust and OWA supported concept has reached this stage and I am looking forward to seeing a Nauti-Craft vessel operational on a wind farm.”

Senior executives of Nauti-Craft were delegates at the European Wind Energy Association’s (EWEA) “Offshore 2015” conference held in Copenhagen on March 10 to 12, 2015 where the Nauti-Craft technology was showcased to over 8,000 participants from 50 countries.

German companies Offcon GMBH, a offshore consulting company, and Reederie NSB, a vessel operator, showcased a windfarm support business model that incorporated the use of Nauti-Craft’s 12.5 meter “daughter craft’ concept to service wind farms. The support model displayed by Offcon showed the Nauti-Craft vessel that could dock onto the rear of a 60 meter catamaran mother ship.

Nauti-Craft Managing Director Ken Johnsen stated after returning from the conference; “ I was very pleased to see the level of exposure given to the Nauti-Craft technology and a means to provide an improved crew transfer solution to wind farm operators. During 2014 there was a 20% increase in the number of wind turbines installed in European waters taking the number to over 2500 turbines. This rate of growth is expected to continue in coming years with a proportionate increase in the number of vessels required to service and support these turbines. Based on the level of interest expressed from major operators in this market Nauti-Craft believes it can play a large role in the market.”

Nauti-Craft’s had previously received strong interest from the wind farm industry due to the support of UK based Carbon Trust that contributed financially to the development of a 8.5 meter “2Play” demonstrator vessel which was unveiled to the industry at the Seaworks 2014 in Southampton UK last June.

Mr Johnsen commented – “the exposure at Seaworks carried over to the Copenhagen conference where a wide part of the Company’s target audience had knowledge of the Nauti-Craft technology. This led to some very productive commercial discussions with key participants in the industry.”

15/06/2015

Nauti-Craft Returns to Seawork 2015.

Nauti-Craft will again have a presence at Seawork International, the largest and fastest growing international commercial marine and workboat exhibition and conference held in a European working port environment. Nauti-Craft will be exhibiting alongside Strategic Marine on stand A223. The Nauti-Craft technology has also been entered in this years innovation showcase.

24/09/2014

Nauti-Craft Pty Ltd is to present, for the first time in Australia, their latest prototype vessel “2Play” at the 2014 Mandurah Boat Show.

Dunsborough based research and development company Nauti-Craft Pty Ltd is to present, for the first time in Australia, their latest prototype vessel “2Play” at the 2014 Mandurah Boat Show.

Nauti-Craft is a small research and development company focused on the design and development of the Nauti-Craft marine suspension system.

Nauti-Craft’s latest prototype “2Play” is the first of its kind 8-metre catamaran. At its core is the Nauti-Craft marine suspension system. This technology separates the vessel’s hulls from the deck and superstructure via a “passive reactive” interlinked hydraulic system which provides unsurpassed levels of control and stability whether stationary or traveling at speed.

04/05/2014

Nauti-Craft is pleased to announce the debut of its latest prototype vessel "2Play" at Seawork 2014

2Play is a first of it's kind 8metre catamaran. At its core is the Nauti-Craft marine suspension system combined with our unique Deck Attitude Control System (D.A.C.S) which actively adjusts and maintains the vertical attitude of the deck to facilitate crew access and transfers in rough seas. Together these technologies provide improved levels of ride comfort, control and stability Come and join us, see 2Play, meet the team and learn more about the Nauti-Craft marine suspension technology. You will find us on board at berth V38 and in our display booth R18

U.K company “Carbon Trust” has announced that Nauti-Craft’s marine suspension is one of 13 concepts selected from a field of over 450 international entrants in the Carbon Trust’s Offshore Wind Accelerator competition.The Carbon Trust’s Offshore Wind Accelerator is a ground-breaking research and development initiative focused on strengthening the economics of offshore wind. The competition aims to identify and develop new access systems to dramatically improve the availability of wind turbines and the safety of people during the transfer to turbines.

Benj Sykes, Director of Innovation at the Carbon Trust, said: “We’ve trawled the globe looking for revolutionary new ideas that can transfer engineers safely in the huge swells around the UK’s coasts. People have been building boats for thousands of years, but we’ve seen some truly radical departures from what you would think a boat should look like. These designs could significantly improve the economics of offshore wind and keep our engineers safe far out to sea. Our analysis shows offshore wind is a huge green growth opportunity which could create up to 230,000 jobs in the UK by 2050.”

06/10/2017

Nauti-Craft Wins Maritime Australia Industry Innovation Award

Nauti-Craft Pty Ltd is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a prestigious National award as part of the Maritime Australia Limited Industry Innovation Awards presented by the Minister for Defence Industry, the Hon. Christopher Pyne MP, at the Pacific 2017 International Maritime Exposition in Sydney on Wednesday 4 October.

Nauti-Craft was the winner of the Civil SME Innovation Grant for its innovative approach to improving the ride, handling, comfort and safety of marine vessels, especially at high speeds and in high seas.

Chris Heyring the Chairman, company founder and inventor of the technology, along with Ken Johnsen - Managing Director, accepted the award from the Hon Christopher Pyne.

Ken Johnsen said today “It is a great honor the receive this prestigious award as it recognises the efforts of the dedicated team at Nauti-Craft in developing a technology that can deliver tangible work place health and safety and operational benefits to vessels in the defence sector as well as range of civilian applications”.

Nauti-Craft participated at the Pacific 2017 International Maritime Exposition as part of the West Australian Government's Defence West stand. The Innovation Award assisted in providing a higher level of exposure at the Exposition which generated a range new potential opportunities for Nauti-Craft as is seeks to introduce its technology into the defence sector.

The Maritime Industry Innovation awards were developed by Industry Defence and Security Australia Limited to recognise the significant innovations of companies and young innovators operating in the commercial maritime and naval defence sectors. The awards recognise and reward local companies and individuals at the forefront of naval and maritime innovation.